Dave Zwaan: a love of bicycles

Tenant in the spotlight

Dave Zwaan actually knew from a young age what he wanted to do: run his parents’ bike shops. They have four bike shops throughout the country and Dave is responsible for the Rotterdam location. Fifteen years of work experience mean that he knows everything about bikes, sales and modern mobility solutions. Personally, he is a fan of the Brompton, an attractive and lightweight folding bicycle. Last year he even took part in the Brompton World Cup in London.

Benelux’s most attractive Brompton shop

Most people in Rotterdam know Zwaan Bikes from when they ran the bike parking facilities at Rotterdam Central Station. When Rotterdam Central Station was renovated in 2007, the shop and the parking facilities were relocated to the Groot Handelsgebouw. Some years later, they found a new location at the Weena. “This is just the right spot for us,” says Dave. “There aren’t that many suitable locations near Rotterdam Central and the Groot Handelsgebouw’s director at the time didn’t initially want loads of rental bikes in front of the door. He was immediately enthusiastic when he saw the design of our shop, though. Shortly after the opening, Brompton England said we were the most attractive Brompton shop in the Benelux countries. Which we are, too,” says Dave with pride.

“This is just the right spot for us.”

Flexible and sustainable transport

Zwaan Bikes is not only a sales outlet but also a workshop and a bike rental location. “Mobility’s an important topic, particularly in the city. Driving is getting more and more impossible. A Brompton offers flexible and sustainable transport.” After completing his bicycle technology training, David discovered that he was not only interested in bicycles but that he liked the contact with customers best of all. “We laid the shop out with that in mind, with a nice ambience and a seating corner for receiving customers. They can enjoy a cup of coffee with us while we first discuss exactly what they want the bike for. You often then get information that the customers themselves haven’t thought about it all. If you recommend the right bike, they’ll also value it a lot more.”

“The new forms of mobility save time and money. That makes the work interesting.”

In the right direction

“In terms of mobility, the Netherlands is heading in the right direction,” concludes Dave. He still has an eye on examples in Denmark, though. In the capital, Copenhagen, a cycle path was defined with a ‘green wave’, letting cyclists get through several traffic lights without stopping. “The new forms of mobility save time and money. That makes the work interesting.”